Mobile grooming business takes off

Denise Kozell has been grooming pets for several years and she recently decided to take her skills on the road — operating Nails and Tails Mobile Grooming.

Lois Westermeyer

Denise Kozell has been grooming pets for several years and she recently decided to take her skills on the road — operating Nails and Tails Mobile Grooming.
Kozell, who resides in Wenona, has clients all over Central Illinois, and is looking to increase her presence in the Pontiac area.
“I was a hairdresser for 25 years, which gave me a very good foundation for grooming,” Kozell said. “I switched to pet grooming because I just love animals. I have always loved animals and they always give you love back.”
While she had a steady business at her home, she decided she wanted to expand and that meant going mobile.
“I started the mobile business on Dec. 27 and within just a few months I outgrew the smaller van I had,” Kozell said. “My business information was on the side of the van and business just blossomed and people were calling me from all over. I had to get a bigger mobile unit.”
The groomer got her first vehicle, a Pet Pro van, from Wag’n Tails of Indiana, which custom makes the mobile grooming units. She ordered the Elite Bus from the Indiana firm and received it just last week.
“This is just a wonderful bus, it has everything I need and it’s self-contained,” Kozell said. “I bring it to the client’s home and I can either park in their driveway or nearby. I don’t hook up to the customer’s electricity or use their water. I have a generator that runs all my equipment that I need. It runs the heating and air-conditioning unit as well. I have a 50-gallon hot water heater for all the water I need for bathing animals and I never dump water at a clients’ location.”
The bus also has a restroom, refrigerator and small kitchen so she can eat lunch and then get right back to work.
Kozell said she operates five days a week, but often works some Saturday and Sunday hours to accommodate clients.
“I’m very busy right now, so I hardly take a day off, although I do try to take a day for myself here and there.”
She begins her travels around 9 a.m. and likes to finish between 6 and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“People call to set up appointments and I try to cluster the clients, like I’ll set up a day to travel to Streator and Ottawa, but I won’t see Pontiac clients that day. That would just be too much travel, especially with the current gas prices.
“Right now I’m in Pontiac once every seven to 10 days, but I would like to come at least once a week, maybe twice a week if I get more clients.”
Kozell operates a full-service salon for pets.
“Oh, I can do everything in here,” Kozell said. “Each full grooming session lasts about 90 minutes and I try to have six or seven clients lined up per day in an area. Cost is determined by what is to be done, size of animal and labor intensity required.”
Services offered through Nails and Tails Mobile Grooming includes furminator treatments for shedding pets. “The furminator is an animal grooming tool, which removes dead shedding hair from a pet, without ruining the top coat or hurting their skin.” She also offers specialized cuts for dogs and cats and shave-downs for cats, including a lion’s cut or partial lion’s cut; nail trimming; anal gland expression; bathing, flea dips; ear cleaning; and non- anesthesia teeth cleaning. “I have a Water Pik and other dental tools for the animals just like at a veterinary clinic,” only she doesn’t sedate the animal to clean the teeth.
Kozell is helped out occasionally by her husband, Mark, when he has a day off from work. “If he wants to see me, he knows he has to come with me, cause I’m on the road a lot,” she said. “And it really is great when he’s able to come. He helps me bathe the pets and helps hold the clients if they’re scared or nervous. But he doesn’t do any grooming. That’s me only.”
Kozell said the bus is equipped with two grooming stations and she would eventually like to add a second groomer. “My passion is showing people how to do something for their pet. I would love to teach someone else how to groom, because I love this part of the business. Hopefully, I’ll find someone who is just as passionate as I am.”
She also stresses that her business should not be used instead of a veterinary clinic for medical conditions.
“I keep my eye out when I’m doing a pet. I had an elderly client who wanted her dog groomed. As I was grooming, I saw the dog had a severely infected area and told my client the dog needed antibiotics from the vet. I ended up re-arranging my schedule and drove the client and her dog to the vet, who was very caring and helpful to her. In addition to grooming, you have to care about the welfare of the pets. If I could go back, I would probably be a vet. But grooming allows me to be close to the animals and in some ways I think I’m better suited to this.”
Toward that end, the bus also has gigantic windows so the pets that are nervous can look out and see their yards and their homes. They know they are still right there.
“I even have people who are out walking their dogs stop when they see the bus and ask if I can fit in a nail trim. The bus is great advertisement. It’s a rolling billboard and I love it.”
To make an appointment, prospective clients can email Kozell at Kozell2@hotmail.com or can call her at 815-822-5226. Appointments can also be made through her website: www.nailsandtailsdoggrooming.com.